Plugging and playing

Photos! Yes, the gallery has been restored but makes a splash on the front page. It’s amazing what a few pictures will do for you.

You might also notice the emblazen Flickr link. As mentioned previously, Flickr is now my choice for photo hosting and sharing. Why? Because it’s easy - real easy. Easy to upload, easy to manage, and easy to integrate.

I figure if the rest of world can use Flickr, so can I. Plus it’s free and I just don’t care. I just don’t care that it’s not my stuff that I’m using.

I have this native instinct to think “ya know, I can build that.” It doesn’t matter what it is. Software, a wooden chair, or a go-cart. When I see it for sale, I always put it off because I figure I can build. But that would also require money and time. And it’s one thing when what I’m eyeballing costs a few beads, but when it’s free, what’s the reason to not use it?

My answer to that question for a long time has simply been, “because I can” - Because I can build it, especially when it comes to stuff I see online. Blogging, flickrs, calendars, mailers…you name it, I instantly see - how can I make that? And…how can I make that and make it better? That’s the curse I have as a software developer by day. At night I’m still in Mr. Software mode and can’t stop - but this time I was able to.

The whole DIY attitude was stopping me from writing. Why? Because I wanted more things, like pictures and feeds and all that stuff you get with blogging tools (like WordPress). But I would have to sit and figure that out, and for what? To get the same thing only have the bragging rights to saying, “I made one too”

See, at work what I am making is 8 times out of 10 actually unique to the business. Sure, I’ve made calendars and news feeds, but most is business specific with a very narrow audience in mind. That’s a challenge in itself, almost more so than trying to make something for “everyone, everywhere.”

I have almost come to the decision to keep software DIY at work and leave it there. I say “almost” because I know I can’t. I’ll still tinker with things at home, afterall, it started as a hobby. But my ame is to keep it limited to the projects I really want and/or need. I have a job. I don’t need the next big open source, subscription-based, ad-sponsored, web application that everyone doesn’t need.

I hope this lets me do what I actually have a lot of fun doing: designing and writing.

Without having to worry about supporting my own work, I can rest on everyone else and just be another part of the blogging community. Call it “just another blog” but I’m happy with that. It will evolve as all my sites have before.

So enjoy the writings via Wordpress and photos via Flickr. There is more around the corner.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Previous Toast articles will be restored once I can figure out how to import them from my old database. There’s too much good stuff there to waste it.